


After All These Years

by dbGrim



Category: Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Crying, Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr, Elsweyr (Elder Scrolls), Fights, Gen, Guilt, Hearing Voices, Magic, Minor Character Death, Necromancy, Pain, Self-Harm, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:28:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28009995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbGrim/pseuds/dbGrim
Summary: Finally settling down in a city with her sister, Lucretiia, a Khajiit, thinks her life stable until a letter comes calling her back to her old life. With he world seeming to fall upon her shoulders once more, Lucretiia lets her sister tag along as the two of them are swiftly swept back into conflict which Lucretiia had tried to liberate them from. Neither of them realized just how distressing their world could become.
Kudos: 1





	1. Let this Just Be

The moons of Nirn glowed softly over the lush vegetation over Southern Elsweyr. The delicate moonbeams were split apart and blotted out by the canopy as the faint light attempted to reach the cool forest floor. However, the beams did manage to catch black and dark grey fur under its light, even illuminating the long, white hair of the Khajiit to a shade of silver. The dark, tiger-striped Khajiit crouched quietly in the brush, ears flicking at the smallest of sounds, and black lapis lazuli eyes slowly scanned the immediate area.

The Khajiit slunk forward, eyes honed in on the torch-lit entrance that led to the cave system she was tasked to clear. She had been out observing the movements of the armored raiders that moved in and out, for less than half the day. The Khajiit was able to count about six or seven raiders, a battle she knew she could easily fight alone, especially if they were spread out, of that, she had no doubt. The Khajiit moved toward the door, quiet as a ghost, black and green armor blending in with the undergrowth easily.

The dark Khajiit, named Lucretiia, went around to the side of the entrance, keeping to the shadows and out of the guard’s sight. Unsheathing a dagger from her arm guard, the Khajiit crept as close as she dared, before springing into the air. The light of the torches gleamed off the silver and fuchsia pink adornment on her head, which caught the eye of the guard. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to do anything but look up before Lucretiia’s dagger found its way between his helm and chest armor. The armored raider tried to scream but it only came out as wet, choking gasps since his ruby blood was now waterfalling down to the dirt.

Lucretiia withdrew her dagger, gave it a good, hard shake to whip off most of the blood before sheathing the small blade and slipping through the doors, leaving the man to bleed out.

As soon as the door was closed silently behind her, the Khajiit pulled out her dual swords, holding the sword in her right hand with a reverse grip and the other hand with a normal grip. Lucretiia jogs through the tunnel, jumping over the fallen rocks and boulders. At some points, the lean Khajiit had to slip through decently tight spaces to go deeper into the cave system. She nodded to herself as she noted the possibility of them being used as choke points, easy to dispatch enemies if you yourself are already through, otherwise, you are just as much of a target as your enemies would be if they attempted the same.

Lucretiia stealthily entered a cavern that was littered with fallen rock and crumbling Khajiiti etchings. Another tunnel veered off to the side, leading deeper, but that was not what the tiger-striped Khajiit was interested in at the moment, no, it was the three individuals in the cavern with her.

The Khajiit’s ears perked up with interest and her tail coiled slightly but her expression stayed cold and neutral.

Bringing her right arm out in front of herself, Lucretiia felt for the darkness in her core and felt that energy race to her limbs, imbuing them with energy. The dark Khajiit felt the energy build up in her right arm before bringing it back slowly then punching it forward, the sickening energy shooting through her arm and out her fist. The ball of poisonous, green energy sailed through the air until it collided with the raider’s archer, hitting skull with skull, causing them to fall to the ground.

The other two raiders jumped into action, one pulling out an elemental staff and the other unsheathing two gleaming, iron swords. Lucretiia and the dual wielder charged at each other, the sounds of crackling energy and pained groans from the mage and archer making the beginning tempo for the battle.

The Khajiit and dual wielder blades met with two clangs, only milliseconds apart. Both sword users pushed against each other, trying to gain some kind of edge. Lucretiia is the one to break the exchange when she spins to the side, followed quickly with her jabbing a blow of her pointed elbow into the swordswoman’s face.

The dual-wielding raider stumbles back a few steps as Lucretiia rushes at the mage, zigzagging to avoid his spells. She flips her right sword to a normal grip and swings them to the left at the mage which is blocked with his staff. The Khajiit hears a whizz and kicks the mage in the gut while whipping her left blade around to block an arrow for her head. Lucretiia swings her blades at the mage again which almost knocks the staff out of his hands. The mage’s hand then glows orange and the Khajiit rolls away, avoiding his fiery punch and allowing an arrow to sail right above her ear. The mage yelps.

Down on one knee, the dark Khajiit blocks a blow above her from the swordswoman. Lucretiia pushes the woman away and quickly slashes at her face. The swing misses her eyes but does leave a gash on her opponent’s head which draws blood.

An arrow sinks into her upper arm, which Lucretiia then hacks off the end. The dark Khajiit hisses and lobs another ball of green energy at the archer. The attack is dodged but the archer almost isn’t able to raise his bow in time to block Lucretiia’s leaping attack.

The Khajiit turns to ram the dual wielder away before turning back to the archer.

Lucretiia leans to the side to dodge an arrow and lunges for the archer again. Before she swings her sword, the Khajiit ducks to the ground, and a burning hot fireball flies over her head, striking the archer in the chest.

The Khajiit rises to block another attack from the dual wielder before dropping her left sword, grabs the woman’s arm as her sword clatters to the ground, and Lucretiia jerks the dual wielder into the mage’s lightning attack.

The swordswoman screams before Lucretiia drives her right sword straight through her opponent’s chest. She jerks her sword out as her opponent falls like a stone.

The Khajiit rolls away and quickly pulls at the energy in the ground, causing skeletal hands to rise from the ground, clutching onto the archer.

Lucretiia jumped over multiple ice shards, shooting a green skull at the mage mid-jump. He falls to the ground a second before the Khajiit's feet touch the ground. Getting a running start, Lucretiia lunges and impales the mage in the head.

The tiger-striped Khajiit puts her foot on the mage’s head and pulls her sword out with a squelch before glancing at the arrow in his arm with a single raised brow. The archer's exhausted groans echo in the cavern along with the sound of splattering blood when Lucretiia whips her blade down. The dark Khajiit sheathes her sword before slowly padding towards the last raider. As she walks, Lucretiia uses her claws to fish out the arrowhead still in her arm before throwing it to the ground.

The white-haired Khajiit leans down to pick up her sword with her bloodied hand before swiping it in the general direction of the archer. Light blue energy extends down her blade, taking on the shape of a scythe that draws red energy from the archer back to Lucretiia which immediately makes the wound in her arm close. The dark Khajiit pads right up to the raider and stabs her sword into the base of his neck, killing him instantly and putting the poor thing out of his misery.

Lucretiia jerks both of her arms away from herself, causing blue and purple energy to spill from her chest before it wraps around her limbs. This brought a new surge of energy to her body, though it also made her feel a little vulnerable. She scowled.

\--------------------

“As always, Miss Lucretiia, your services are a great service to the people living here in Torval,” the Khajiiti Leader of the Guards for Torval stated, relieving the tiger-striped Khajiit of the… trinket, she had brought to validate the completion of her task.

“How would you like your payment today?” Lucretiia was then asked.

“At the usual place,” she replied.

“Alright,” the guard replied, “I hope you and your sister have a good night.”

Lucretiia nodded and turned from the counter to the door. When she opened the door, the dark Khajiit heard a voice murmur, “-tt- troublesome necro-.”

She closed the door behind her before the voice could finish, not even hazarding a response as she knew it would get her nowhere. Having not grown up in Elsweyr, Lucretiia and her sister were outsiders to the region, even if they were the same species as most that inhabited Elsweyr. They did not need to lose the property they had managed to gain.

Lucretiia nodded her head to a guard as they passed each other on the walkway.

The dark Khajiit did have to admit that what her family had managed to secure here was fairly decent and the city folk were not all bad. Some may dislike her for her magic skill set but she and her sister had managed to gain a fairly positive reputation with the city-state people. It seemed to help balance out her use of necromancy.

Lucretiia sighed, letting go of her negativity and relaxing before padding up the steps of her home at the edge of the city. The dark Khajiit pulled at her necklace for the key and unlocked the door.

She was greeted with a darkened living space, just barely lit by a dying fire. Soft little snores arose from the sofa where Lucretiia could see little Satrana fast asleep. Well, not really little as the fiery, red Satrana was only five years younger than her but that would always make her seem little to Lucretiia, no matter what. The tiger-striped Khajiit’s expression softened as a little smile crept up to her face.

Lucretiia stalked over to her sister and crouched down, delicately touching her hand to her sister’s cheek. She glanced to the side to look at the coffee table to see a filled cup of Moon-sugar tea and a letter address to her. Lucretiia lost her smile and withdrew her hand. 

Standing up, the dark Khajiit glanced at the mantle at the picture of her and her two sisters before looking away. Padding quickly but quietly to Satrana’s bed in the bedroom, she pulled back the covers before returning to her sister. With hands like a thief, Lucretiia slipped the boots from her sister’s feet along with removing the ruby tiara she always wore. Carrying her sister, bridal style, Satrana was gently laid in bed with the covers drawn up to her chin. The white-haired Khajiit set the tiara on the nightstand by her sister’s head before retreating.

With the bedroom door closed, Lucretiia went to the front of the house to draw the window’s curtains closed and then threw another log into the fire to have it last a bit longer. The dark Khajiit walked over to the sofa table and picked up her cup to find it was a bit warm. Lucretiia noted that her little sister must have made the tea before she passed out on the sofa along with also having been distracted by something else for the fire to have gone down as much as it had.

The tiger-striped Khajiit took a long sip of her drink before setting it down, avoiding looking at the letter as she did. Lucretiia unbuckled her swords from her waist along with removing the dagger and it’s sheathed before putting it in the trunk by the door. The white-haired Khajiit padded into the kitchen where she discovered what Satrana had been doing. Her fiery little sister had tried making her dinner. It was not horrible, maybe just a little burnt around… all the edges.

Lucretiia almost laughed out loud. Satrana knew her way around the kitchen but she was no master when it came to cooking meat, though her sister will always outclass her in the preparation of tea and sweet treats. The tiger-striped Khajiit picked up the plate of burnt, sugared Cuttlefish along with some dishware. She brought it next to her cup of tea before sneaking back into the bedroom.

Lucretiia quickly deposited Satrana’s boots at the end of the bed before moving to her own and grabbing her evening wear from her nightstand. The white-haired Khajiit quickly changed from her dusty and slightly blood-splattered warrior gear into her lavender and white evening wear before depositing it in the back closet to be taken to be cleaned the next day. Then exited the room.

Taking one last round into the kitchen, she cleaned off her hands along with her arms and face before venturing her return back to the living room.

Removing her own tiara from her forehead, Lucretiia set it on the mantle next to the only picture frame that adorned it. Sitting on the sofa, the dark Khajiit ran her fingers through her long hair, claws catching on the little items Satrana had fitted into her braids when she did her older sister’s hair in the morning.

Her dinner now on her lap, Lucretiia slowly ate, taking occasional sips of her tea all the while glaring at the letter that taunted her by having her name written on it. She knew it couldn’t have been from anyone in the city-state as they would have found time to tell her themselves when she was around or at least do it through the guard leader if they didn’t want to speak with her directly.

No, it had to be from someone either outside of the city or someone of importance if the fancy handwriting told her anything. The thought of it being from someone out of the city made her bristle, she had done well to keep her and her sister well protected within this city and this city alone when they officially moved here. She especially did not like that the letter was given to her sister and not her directly. She didn’t like it at all.

Lucretiia finished her food and drink with contempt. Setting the dishes down on the sofa table, the tiger-striped Khajiit hesitantly lifted the letter and opened it. The first item she removed was a basic map of Elsweyr with the city of Riverhold circled. Then the message:

"Lucretiia,

After much consideration, I have deemed it necessary to contact you and request your assistance. I cannot say much about the matter to you over letter but I promise that all your questions will be answered upon your arrival. Should you choose to come without your sister, I have arranged for Anais Davaux to be her personal guardian until our business is completed.

It would seem that Tamriel is once again in need of your assistance, Vestige.

Sincerely, Abnur Tharn" 

Lucretiia sat in silence for a long time, just numb. She had not expected to hear from Abnur again so soon...after what happened. She looks to the picture on the mantle of her and her sisters.

Gaining resolve, the tiger-striped Khajiit throws on a coat and some boots before rushing to the Courier Collection hut. Lucretiia writes up a quick letter, addresses it to Abnur Tharn in Riverhold, and puts it under urgent. The dark Khajiit watches the courier go before she leaves and soon finds herself glaring into the fireplace at her home until the flames die down to a simple smolder.


	2. Don't Let it Change

Lucretiia awoke to her face being bathed in the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window that was over her head. The dark Khajiit looked over to see that Satrana was gone, out at school no doubt. At least she better be. The tiger-striped Khajiit sighed and slipped out of bed. Lucretiia stalked over to her wardrobe and selected a pale green top with black pants and boots before changing into them. The white-haired Khajiit also grabbed her armor from last night along with a blue and grey outfit from the back of her wardrobe that was too small for her now.

She puts both of those in a bag that she then slings over her shoulder.

She exited the bedroom to the main room for her tiara and then over to the kitchen to grab one of the little treats that Satrana makes in batches and grabs an apple as well. Before heading out of the house, however, she also grabs her dagger, not wanting to be left defenseless even if she wasn’t leaving the city-state at all. Locking the door, Lucretiia then walks past a few houses before arriving at the stables. The stablemaster paid her no mind as she breezed through the open doors.

Making her way to the very back, the white-haired Khajiit stops in front of a light grey horse. The gray Palfrey stretched its neck out to Lucretiia which she then pets before offering up the apple which was readily accepted. The dark Khajiit pats the horse on the neck a few times more before she leaves.

Lucretiia stalked along the walkways of Torval, now littered with many Khajiit, city guards, and some other species that the white haired Khajiit did not care to identify at the moment. The bustling of activity is so unlike the life Lucretiia would have picked for herself but Satrana thrived here, so here is where they live.

The dark Khajiit heads straight for the bank so she can start her runs for the day. She makes a quick withdrawal of money and then leaves just as quickly as she came. Lucretiia then headed over to the marketplace.

To say it was bustling would be a bit of an understatement. It was nigh impossible to get through without bumping into someone by accident. Made this place quite the playground for pickpockets. Luckily, Lucretiia was prepared and had her gold in a coin curse that was connected to her belt and had wire mesh which made it slash proof.

The tiger-striped Khajiit skirted around the very edges of the open market, getting to the enchanter stall, and waited until it was her turn.

“Hello, how may I help you today,” the enchanter at the counter asked her.

Lucretiia pulled the small blue and grey outfit out of her bag and set it in front of the enchanter, “I need an Armor enchantment for this. How soon you can get it done?”

The enchanter lifted the outfit, “I’d say I can have it done this afternoon for 18 gold.”

Lucretiia looked towards the sun for a second, “Let’s say you get it done a little after midday for 24 gold?”

The enchanter thought for a moment, “Deal.”

The dark-haired Khajiit slapped down the coin and then moved on. Lucretiia made her way to the washhouse where she paid six gold for her green and black armor to be cleaned. She had brought her armor to be cleaned here many times and she trusted it to be taken care of.

Rounds done, Lucretiia made her way to the temple, heading to the east courtyard that was illuminated by the Sun. There, the dark Khajiit caught sight of her sister amongst the other students.

If someone were to put Lucretiia and Satrana right next to each other, no one’s first would be that they were sisters. Lucretiia was dark grey with black tiger stripes while Satrana was a faded, lemon yellow with dark brown spots. The younger sister had sparkling sapphire eyes and shoulder-length hair, which she kept in a ponytail, while her older sister had black lapis lazuli eyes and bleached white hair she kept in braids.

The most obvious similarity between the two was their facial structure and perhaps their body structure except Lucretiia was taller and a bit skinnier.

The dark Khajiit leaned against a tree and watched her sister and her classmates go through the motions of their lesson for the morning. The movements were fluid and the class moved as one.

After a time, Lucretiia sat down and watched the class, occasionally nodding in approval or her frown deepening when she was disappointed. She knew that only Satrana knew she was there, so the tiger-striped Khajiit felt a little freedom to express herself.

Lucretiia only stood when Satrana along with the rest of her class were released at midday, them having started at sunrise. The dark Khajiit stepped onto the path and was met by her sister and they began walking together.

“It looks like your classes are coming along well, Rana,” Lucretiia stated.

“I’m actually failing but I had to at least look good since you were watching,” Satrana said. She tried to keep a serious face but it soon broke into a smirk then into a little laugh, “Yeah, yeah things have been going great. I even got moved up a class recently. I mean, I can’t take it as a joke if we are really going to go adventuring together.”

Lucretiia nodded at that, “I have been considering it...you know, after your constant pestering,” Satrana’s eyes sparked with interest, “I was thinking that the next task I am given, if simple enough, I will bring you along.”

“You will!?” Satrana squealed.

Lucretiia gave a little smirk, “Yes, so long as you continue to work hard on your studies.”

“I will! I will, I promise! Thank you, Lucra.”

“You do not need to thank me, Rana, you have earned it now come, let us get some lunch.”

\--------------------

“So, we’ve been working with swords a lot recently. Two-handed, dual wielding, and stuff along those lines. Before we had spent time on our animal and nature magic, like the basics, but now we go really hard it in the early morning the with the swords for the rest of the time,” Satrana stated, “I sometimes don’t see the point of it, I have ice armor I can use.”

Lucretiia nodded and set down her cup, “That ice armor of yours will only get you so far. It can protect you through the brunt of magic-based attacks but it will not do much against physical weapons like arrows, swords, and maces. If I could really clear out a bandit hideout of some kind without my swords or dagger, do you not think I would have done so by now?”

“I mean, yeah, it’s just...I don’t know, it doesn’t feel as natural as my spells,” Satrana admitted.

“Listen,” Lucretiia said softly, reaching over to grab her sister’s hand with her own, “I understand wanting to use nothing but your magic, I was the same way. I believed that I could get by with my fire, ice, and lightning spells just fine but all it did was get me hurt. I do not want to see you be hurt, okay Satrana?”

“Okay,” her sister mumbled.

“Alright,” the dark Khajiit said, standing up, “There are some things that I need to pick up now. I will meet you at home….and if you go right home, I’ll bring home a surprise.”

Satrana immediately perked up, “You mean it?”

As soon as the tiger-striped Khajiit nodded, the younger, fiery Khajiit jumped up from her chair and sprinted home, making Lucretiia smile. Tidying up the table to make it easier for the waiter to clean up, the dark Khajiit left behind a few coins before heading back into the marketplace.

It was much less crowded, now that many of the city’s citizens had either gone to work or gone to lunch. Lucretiia was able to walk right up to the enchanter from before since there was no line.

“Ah, welcome back,” the enchanter stated when she saw the dark Khajiit, “I have the enchantments in place as you ordered.”

The blue and dark grey garb was handed to Lucretiia which she scrutinized over with her dark eyes.

“I trust it is to your liking,” the enchanter inquired.

“Yes, of course. Have a good rest of your day,” the tiger-striped Khajiit said before leaving.

Lucretiia folded up the outfit and put it in the bag before returning to the wash house for her armor. The dark Khajiit slung it over her shoulder before heading home, the sun now halfway set in the sky. She used the key to unlock the door to her house, as it was always locked, no matter if someone was inside or not.

The white-haired Khajiit was met by her sister who traded Lucretiia a cup of tea for her armor which was taken into the bedroom. The dark Khajiit sat in one of the chairs and took a sip of the tea, waiting until her sister took a seat on the sofa across from her.

“Close your eyes,” Lucretiia told her sister as she set the cup down on the far side of the table.

Satrana did what she was told and closed her sapphire eyes, tail thumping in excitement. The dark Khajiit slipped the outfit from her bag and laid it out in front of the fiery Khajiit.

“Alright, you may open them now,” Lucretiia said.

Satrana did so and looked around for a second until her eyes fell onto the outfit before her. Her jaw fell open before she lifted the garb carefully and examined it.

“Wasn’t...wasn’t this yours? From when we were in Morrowind?” The fiery Khajiit questioned.

“Yes, it is,” she replied, “I just had it enchanted with an Armor seal so you can wear it whenever.”

“Oh my! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m going to put this on right now,” Satrana stated before rushing to the bedroom to change out of her beige trainee uniform.

Lucretiia got up from her seat, taking the teacup with her to the kitchen to fill it up a bit more. She leaned up against the kitchen wall and took a sip of her drink, lost in thought.

There was a knock at the door, causing the tiger-striped Khajiit to sets down the cup and reaches for her dagger when Satrana calls out that she would get it and then almost trips on her way there. Her sister would probably blame it on the carpet later.

Lucretiia walked towards her sister when she unlocked and opened the door. The dark Khajiit could not see who it was because of how the door opened but when Satrana closed the door almost immediately, it caused her to whip out her dagger.

The white-haired Khajiit pulled her sister away from the door and pushed her towards the kitchen before taking a hold of the doorknob herself. Dagger in her left hand and behind her back, Lucretiia slowly opened the door but when she saw who was right outside, she almost tried to rip the door from its hinges.

“Tharn,” the tiger-striped Khajiit growled in displeasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took longer than expected, I'll try and get the next done faster. Hopefully plot in the next chapter


	3. Tread Lightly

Abnur Tharn looked startled by her appearance for a moment but it was quickly hidden by a sarcastic smirk from the old battlemage, “Come now, Vestige, it was you yourself who told me to come to see you if I truly needed your assistance, so here I am.”

Lucretiia jerked her head to the black Khajiit behind him, eyes suspicious, “And who is that?”

“This is Khamira, she has been working alongside myself and other high-ranking members of the Khajiiti Defense Force,” Tharn supplied.

“Tharn, are you even sure that this is the Khajiiti warrior we are looking for,” Khamira questions, talking to the old battlemage she had accompanied, “She does not look much like the one you had described."

“If this was not in fact Lucretiia, we would more than likely have had the door closed on our faces by a very confused individual,” Abnur Tharn replied a bit exasperated, “I assure you, it is her.”

The white haired Khajiit crossed her arms and glared down at the two, “Are you two done talking about me like I am not here?”

“Yes, of course. May we come inside, it is awfully humid out here,” Tharn replied.

Lucretiia glared at the old battlemage before tucking her dagger in her belt and opening the door a bit more to let them in, which they did quickly. As soon as both were inside, the dark Khajiit locked the door behind them.

“Sofa,” she ordered, not giving them a chance to look around before heading to the kitchen.

Satrana was there with a confused and worried expression on her face. Lucretiia walked up to her and gave her hand a little squeeze.

“You can leave if you wish, I’ll come find you when they leave,” the dark Khajiit whispered in her sister’s ear.

Satrana shook her head, “I’ll stay.”

Lucretiia nodded before grabbing the cup she had left and then set off to the living space. Keeping her expression neutral, the white haired Khajiit sat across from Abnur in one of the chairs.

“What did you do,” the dark Khajiit questions immediately.

“Starting with pointing fingers I see,” Abnur Tharn remarked, “Not even a polite greeting or an offering of a beverage."

Lucretiia raised a brow right before Satrana came around with tea and offered both Khamira and Tharn a cup.

“Thank you,” Khamira said in thanks as Tharn said, “See, that is much better.”

Satrana sat in the chair across from Khamira next to the fireplace and everyone took a silent sip of their drinks. All rather aware of some of the tension in the room.

“Do not expect any royal services, Tharn, that is not what we are for,” Lucretiia told the old battlemage darkly.

“Of course, of course. I expect no less from adventurers like yourselves, though I have to ask you about your apparent change in magic class, you never seemed like one who would-,” Tharn started before he was cut off by Satrana.

“Why are you here,” the young Khajiit asked quietly, “What exactly do you need us for?”

“Excellent question, little Satrana,” Abnur Tharn complimented, Lucretiia scowled but she hid it by taking another sip from her cup, “It would seem that a Rage of Dragons are now loose in Elsweyr. We have thus far succeeded in keeping the dragons contained within the Elsweyrian borders, but it will not last forever. When those defenses are breached, the dragons will be free to roam all of Tamriel, causing senseless destruction.”

“And you had a hand in it, Tharn,” Lucretiia replied.

“How would you know that,” Khamira exclaimed, a little alarmed.

“I did not know...until just now,” the dark Khajiit took another sip of her tea, “I had simply assumed.”

“An excellent assumption at that. Now, down to business, shall we,” Abnur Tharn stated, taking a sip of his tea before continuing, “As you know, Lucretiia, I would not have contacted you unless it was of absolute necessity. Alongside the Rage of Dragons, Elsweyr is also faced with many necromancers’ undead thrall who are being supplied by thousands of Euraxian soldiers.”

“Euraxian soldiers?” Satrana asked.

“Yes,” Khamira hissed, “Soldiers who serve under the rule of Tharn’s traitorous sister who stole the Khajiiti throne in Rimmen.”

“Half- sister,” Abnur Tharn corrected.

“She is your sister all the same, Tharn, we both know this...now continue,” Lucretiia ordered.

“As you wish,” the old battlemage replied, “Given what I have told you and the fact that there are limited resources for the Khajiiti Defense Force, I saw no better time than now to contact you. I need someone who is skilled and reliable enough to give us the edge in this fight.”

Lucretiia closed her eyes and slowly finished the rest of her beverage, considering Tharn’s words. The last time they had worked together, things had not turned out that well for her family.

“What would be in it for my sister and I,” the dark Khajiit asked the Tharn, fixing him under her dark gaze.

“What is in it for you!? Anequina’s Moons,” Khamira exclaimed exasperated, standing up, “This is bigger than you walker! This is for the sake of beautiful Elsweyr and Tamriel alike, how could you be so selfish!”

“Khamira…,” Tharn spoke up in an attempt to calm her down.

“...Do not presume to understand me or my intentions,” Lucretiia growled, “Now, sit down or I will remove you from this house.”

Khamira clamped her mouth shut before she crossed her arms and plopped back down on the sofa, tail flicking in anger and staring into the fire. Satrana took this moment to collect everyone's dishes and bring them to the kitchen to be cleaned.

Abnur Tharn spoke again after the younger Khajiit had left the immediate area, “Unfortunately, I cannot offer you much at this moment, Lucretiia, what I can promise is that if you and your sister join us in this endeavor and the threat is eradicated, I will give you and your family whatever is within my power to give you.”

Lucretiia stared into the old battlemage’s eyes, trying to discern if he was indeed telling the truth. The room was in silence for a while, with the exception of four different breathes, the crackling of a fire, and the clinking of dishes.

The dark Khajiit hesitated, “I will give this some thought but if you do not hear from us within the next two days, we will not be helping.”

Tharn nodded before rising, “Pleasure seeing you once again Lucretiia. Come along Khamira, we need to return to Riverhold."

The black Khajiit and white haired Khajiit both rose and the three of them all moved to the door where Lucretiia unlocked the door and let them out. The dark Khajiit closed and locked the door behind them before pressing her ear against the door frame to listen to the pair.

“That was a complete waste of time, Tharn,” Khamira told the old battlemage, “The look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. She will not be helping Elsweyr. I hope your plans have been accommodated to account for her lack of support.”

“They are, though I still have faith that she will see the importance of giving aid,” Abnur Tharn stated.

Then the pair set off and Lucretiia retreated from the door. The dark Khajiit pulled the dagger from her belt and put it back into the sheath before she trotted to the kitchen. She handed Satrana the next dish before moving to dry the ones that she had already cleaned. They worked in silence until every dish had been cleaned and dried and put away.

The fiery, young Khajiit spoke first, “I think we should help them…”

Lucretiia raised a brow which implored Satrana to continue, “I mean, we could at least go and see for ourselves what might be wrong and then decide what to do from there. I won’t question any decision you make while we are out there, just please. I want to help...”

The dark Khajiit’s sister looked up at her with bright, hopeful eyes and Lucretiia knew she couldn’t say no. She sighed and rubbed her head.

“We will leave for Riverhold tomorrow morning...to investigate first and foremost,” the tiger striped Khajiit stated, “Go start packing a few things for the both of us, we do not need much as I would wager that Tharn expects us to come and has some arrangements in place already.”

Satrana nodded silently, not pushing her luck but before she could take off, Lucretiia spoke again, “I need to tell some people where we are going and have someone look over the house while we are gone...along with informing your instructors of our departure. I do not need to tarnish any reputation you have at school with a few absences.”

The young Khajiit nodded and then the two sisters went their separate ways to carry out their tasks.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so, this is not my first fanfiction but it is certainly my first fanfic on Ao3. I'm going to say right now that this story follows pretty closely with the Elsweyr storyline, though things will be changed here and there as I see fit.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy what you've read so far and can't wait to put up the next one!


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